M60 Machine Gun

Designed to replace the Browning M1919, the M60 automatic machine gun was based on the WWII German MG-42. Fed by a disintegrating belt of 7.62mm ammunition, it boasted a cyclical firing rate of 550 rounds per minute and an effective range of approximately 1,000 yards. The M60 weighed 23 pounds, three and a half times the weight of an M16A1 rifle, and was nicknamed the "pig".

A crew served weapon, a team of two or three infantrymen typically operated the M60: the gunner, the assistant gunner, who carried a spare barrel and ammunition, and the ammunition bearer.

Widely used by U.S. infantry units in Vietnam, the M60 was also mounted on various vehicles and riverine craft. Helicopter door gunners also used the M60D, a modified version of the machine gun that featured spade grips and an aircraft ring-type sight.